Season 4.5 introduces several changes that will significantly impact the meta. We’ll see some heroes, such as Phoenix and Human Torch, stop terrorizing the lobbies, and others, like Rocket, rise in popularity.
Most of the changes in this patch are based on the hero’s performance and are data-driven - Blade, Angela, and Mister Fantastic were severely underperforming for most players. In our Marvel Rivals Hero Tier List in Season 4.5, we’ll cover every change in detail and rank the heroes based on their current performance standing.
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How Our Tier Ranking Works
To make our Marvel Rivals tier ranking as objective as possible, we reviewed pick rate and win rate data on every hero in a higher rank setting, plus took into consideration the buffs and nerfs they’ve received in 4.5. Let’s look at what our ranks from S to D tier mean:
S-Tier - Absolute best heroes in the game currently, played or banned in every game.
A-Tier - Viable and strong characters that are just slightly behind their S-tier contenders.
B-Tier - Heroes lacking some strengths their higher-tier counterparts have, but still good in certain situations
C-Tier - Very niche and generally weaker heroes who are severely lacking compared to the Marvel Rivals top characters
D-Tier - Unequivocally either relatively underpowered heroes or the ones that need the most skill to be executed well
As you can see, season 4.5 shakes things up massively, with heroes going down and up the ranks like nothing. Devs are mostly going with the way of spicing things up by a pinch, carefully tuning the stats. However, some heroes, such as Phoenix, Human Torch, and Jeff, are receiving massive nerfs, and that’s being reflected in our Marvel Rivals Character Tier List in Season 4.5.
S-tier Marvel Rivals Heroes List Explained
Heroes in the S-tier of our Marvel Rivals heroes list are exceptional in every scenario possible. Each of them excels at their role; mastering them is sure to bring you success in climbing the ranks. Let’s take a closer look at the best heroes to climb with in Marvel RIvals season 4.5:
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Hulk - great mobility and control, respectable damage. His shields are on low CD and are able to prevent major control abilities and ultimates. He could be played as either the front-line tank or an extremely dangerous dive tank if left unchecked.
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Luna Snow - Rival’s nepo baby - extreme amounts of healing, especially with her E. Great offensive output potential with her attack being hitscans and able to headshot, her Shift ability provides insane healing and damage if you position yourself right. Moreover, she has the best healer ult in the game that lasts the longest and is versatile due to the ability to switch from healing to damage amp.
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Magik - 4.0 buffs made this already great hero into the beast she is today. Great ultimate, a lot of combos, respectable mobility - this hero is one of the best Marvel Rivals meta heroes.
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Psylocke - ultimate buff is insane, fixing her biggest weakness and allowing her to choose her targets better while in-ult. Already a dangerous hero has become more lethal.
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Hela - with Phoenix being nerfed and newer team-up ability with Namor introduced to Hela, the Queen of Hel is stronger than ever.
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Emma Frost - despite the recent nerfs to her damage, she is still broken and easy to execute. Her offensive output, defensive capabilities, and unprecedented control with her grab and ultimate make her a top tank in every situation imaginable.
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Magneto - an evergreen meta giant with his bursty shots, two shielding abilities, and an ultimate that kills through healer ults with ease, Master of Magnetism stays one of the Marvel Rivals' best heroes.
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Venom - he was an underrated pick for several seasons, but recent buffs made him really shine in 3.5 and 4.0. In 4.5, he receives an anti-healing effect to his ultimate, making him even more lethal.
Please, stay aware that the best picks in Marvel Rivals are the ones you enjoy playing, so don’t feel bad playing some of the lower-tier heroes. In the right situations and with the right person operating them, every hero is able to shine.
Marvel Rivals Best DPS
The biggest changes in the patch in Marvel Rivals' Best DPS standings are the Phoenix and Torch’s fall from grace. Otherwise, rankings remain the same with mid heroes still being mid and characters such as Psylocke and Magik dominating the chart.
|
Tier |
Characters |
|---|---|
|
S |
Psylocke, Hela, Magik |
|
A |
Punisher, Storm, Human Torch, Namor, Wolverine, Black Panther, Moon Knight, Winter Soldier |
|
B |
Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Blade, Phoenix, Star-Lord |
|
D |
Squirrel Girl, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch |
A huge number of options in the DPS role creates tough competition. Characters in the lower tier usually struggle to bring enough value compared to those in the higher tiers. Despite that, there are always situations where some of the B-tier characters can change the outcome of the game.
Marvel Rivals Best Tanks
There are not many changes regarding the tanks this season; the only notable change is Venom moving from being an A-tierer to one of the Marvel Rivals' best tanks. With his newfound anti-heal property, he can now execute enemies even after missing his one-shot combo.
|
Tier |
Characters |
|---|---|
|
S |
Hulk, Emma Frost, Magneto, Venom |
|
A |
Groot, Doctor Strange, Peni Parker |
|
B |
Thor, Captain America, Thing |
|
C |
Angela |
Despite Hulk. Emma and Mag consistent stay in the S tier; situational picks like Thing and Angela still could swing the scales in your favor. Stay aware of the situation in every single game and choose characters accordingly.
Marvel Rivals Best Healers
Marvel Rivals best Healers list saw some big changes with Ultron’s sizeable heal reduction. Jeff’s survivability got brought down, making him a less desirable pick, and Rocket’s C.Y.A. got buffed after being shot down for the entire prior season.
|
Tier |
Characters |
|---|---|
|
S |
Luna Snow |
|
A |
Rocket Raccoon, Cloak and Dagger, Invisible Woman |
|
B |
Jeff the Land Shark, Loki |
|
C |
Mantis, Adam Warlock, Ultron |
While Luna Snow remains the strongest main healer in the game, don't be discouraged from playing niche options like Adam or Jeff, these heroes can still bring a lot of value to your team.
Marvel Rivals buffs and nerfs in Season 4.5
As you already know, massive shifts are being made to the hero placements in season 4.5, so let’s sort it out. Information is a weapon in the competitive shooters scene, so let's take a closer look at the Marvel Rivals buffs and nerfs in Season 4.5:
|
Hero |
Type |
Change Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Angela |
Buff |
Divine Judgement - Axes of Ichor bonus health per ally increased from 15 to 20, and bonus health per enemy increased from 30 to 40. |
|
Blade |
Buff |
Daywalker Dash attack range increased from 4.5 m to 6.5 m. Bloodline Awakening slash-speed stack duration increased from 0.7 s to 1 s. Landing all four hits of Whirlwind Slash now grants one extra slash-speed stack. |
|
Hela |
Buff |
Astral Flock activates faster, and upon activation, Hela gains +25 bonus health. |
|
Mister Fantastic |
Buff |
Distended Grip now immobilizes the target for 1 second after pulling them in. |
|
Psylocke |
Buff |
Dance of the Butterfly self-slow reduced from 30% to 15%. Damage per strike increased from 150 to 170. |
|
Venom |
Buff |
Feast of the Abyss (Ultimate) now applies a 30% healing-reduction debuff to enemies hit for 4 seconds. |
|
Rocket Raccoon |
Buff |
C.Y.A. (Ultimate) - Damage Boost increased from 25% to 40% (ultimate utility buff). |
|
Iron Fist |
Adjustment |
Yat Jee Chung Kuen: fixed damage decreased from 9 to 8; percentage-based damage increased from 2.7% to 3.1%. |
|
Human Torch |
Nerf |
Fire Cluster damage per projectile reduced from 5.5 to 5. Added a 0.5 s delay before ammo regeneration begins for Fire Cluster. Plasma Body movement speed reduced from 900 to 850. |
|
Phoenix (Jean Grey) |
Nerf |
Basic melee attacks no longer generate Sparks. Dark Ascent no longer replenishes ammo. Dark Ascent now has a 1-second cooldown. |
|
Cloak & Dagger |
Nerf |
Eternal Bond (Ultimate) energy cost increased from 4300 to 4500. |
|
Jeff the Land Shark |
Nerf |
Oblivious Cuteness' critical-damage reduction lowered from 70% to 50%. |
These changes are set to ensure that not only the best Marvel Rivals meta characters see play. Lower-tier heroes receive the much-needed buffs to let them have their own place in the meta play.
Marvel Rivals' most notable nerfs in season 4.5
With the small increments with which characters are being changed, not every tweak makes a lot of impact. Let’s look at the ones that are certain to change the meta play the most:
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The biggest nerf of the patch is undeniably Jean Grey’s melee tech removal. With her most dangerous tool removed, she’s plummeting from S-tier in 4.0 straight to the B-tier in 4.5.
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Jonny Storm, aka Human Torch, receives a long-awaited nerf to both his damage and melee cancel tech, changing his standing from S to A tier.
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Jeff the Land Shark receives another gutting change - his massive head will now take 20% more damage, moving him from A to B tier due to his inevitably increasing mortality rate.
Less impactful changes are Cloak’s ultimate price increase and the nerf to the Iron Fist. This character has seemingly lost its direction, being forced to be a front liner while lacking great survivability.
Marvel Rivals' most notable buffs in season 4.5
Not every buff will change the game drastically, so let’s look at the ones that will:
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Biggest buff of the season is Psylocke’s ult’s massive changes, making it move way quicker and deal more damage. She was still arguably S-tier before the buff, but now she has secured her spot in the highest tier of Marvel Rivals meta.
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Buffs to the Blade’s melee capabilities are set to make him more dangerous while up close and not rely that much on his shotgun, moving him from C to B.
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Rocket’s C.Y.A. 15% damage amp is a significant amount of damage being added up, so he will increase in popularity this season.
The less noticeable changes are Angela’s and Blade’s buffs; they are unlikely to significantly alter these heroes' gameplay and standing in the rankings. But despite their lower standing, good players can still get a lot of value out of these characters.
Conclusion
Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 marks one of the most dynamic updates in the game’s history, shaking up the meta and redefining what it means to dominate the battlefield. With Phoenix, Human Torch, and Jeff receiving heavy nerfs, the oppressive top-tier picks of past seasons have finally been brought down to size. At the same time, long-overlooked heroes like Blade, Angela, and Mister Fantastic are finally getting their well-deserved moment in the spotlight.
The balance direction in this patch clearly focuses on rewarding skill expression and strategic flexibility - whether it’s Psylocke’s now-lethal ultimate or Rocket’s newfound offensive power, there’s room for both mechanical mastery and team coordination to shine.
Even though the best characters in Marvel Rivals, like Hulk, Luna Snow, and Hela, continue to dominate the upper echelon of competitive play, Season 4.5’s changes ensure that every hero has a role to play in the right hands. This patch encourages experimentation and adaptability, so now is the perfect time to explore new team compositions and play your favorite characters.
No matter who you main, success in Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 will come down to understanding the new meta - and mastering the heroes who rise within it.
